987 OEM short shifter
 

So I had my dealer install the OEM short shifter in my car today. Shift action is still smooth, but definitely a bit stiffer. It is still easy to discern which gear you're in by feel and shifting is still very natural.

I was surprised at how easy it was to forget that I'd even changed anything. The shifts are MUCH shorter but I haven't had a chance yet to see if I feel like it's going to make a big difference on a day to day basis.

I was pretty annoyed at how long the shift throws were with the stock shifter and got sick of knocking the girlfriend in the knee when I was selecting fifth. Not sure how much bang for the buck you get out of this shifter, but so far I like it.

(hmm, I sense a missed opportunity for some great double-entendres in that last paragraph.)

We'll see how things are tomorrow morning. It's been around 50 to 55 degrees in the morning down here lately so things should be a bit stiff (again, i snicker).

I know I know, OH MAN FIFTY DEGREES YOU POOR THING! :matchup:

Mine came with the short throw kit, I find I like it a lot.

I missed out on "hitting" the GFs knee!

WOOO-HOO! Fifty degrees? AWESOME! I love it when it warms up! I say put on some shorts, drop the top, and enjoy the weather. I know I did the last time it got that warm.....

Which dealer, Hoehn or Pioneer? How much was the whole thing installed? Thanks

eslai

after all the discussion about the schnell short shifter - why did you choose the OEM? Are you just a purist and wanted to keep everything truly Porsche?

Although I only had the 987 for 5 days after putting the schnell shifter in - it was amazing - if I could only find something like that for the bimmer.....

Man I miss this forum!

Hey man!

I went with the OEM shifter because I have had a lot of experience with short shifters on different cars. I've personally experienced problems with some and had no problems with others.

I hear those experiences from many other drivers of those same cars that I've dealt with. I've never heard of any aftermarket shifter that hasn't had issues for some people, one way or another. I can't just blame user error or installation errors on all of those problems because I have that personal experience that shows that anyone can have issues with short shifters.

I wasn't even going to bother putting one on this car because of all that. I haven't heard anything really bad about the stock Porsche shifter and the fact that they change out the entire assembly rather than just the lever was a winner for me. That showed me that Porsche understood how unreliable it is to rebuild the stock assembly with a new lever and I could be fairly assured that I wouldn't have too much of an issue with this new one.

Also, it's a stock part installed by a dealer so if I DO end up with problems, it's not my problem. And if for some reason I end up hating it, I can always reverse things back to normal. :)

But yes, the price is not so good. Ends up costing about $400 for the part and about $300 for labor. I think I ended up paying about $750 or so at Pioneer Centres. But one has to think of the risk of screwing up an aftermarket short shifter install and the costs associated with that--you could easily spend more time and money dicking around in the aftermarket. If an OEM solution exists for a not TOO ludicrous an amount, why not use it?

One could easily save some money and do the install oneself if one were mechanically inclined, but I made a promise to myself when I bought this car that I wouldn't **************** with it on my own, no matter how simple I thought things would be. That path leads to turbos and I don't trust myself anymore. :D

But seriously, it's just a matter of removing the center console, deattaching the shift cables, unbolting the old shifter assembly, bolting in the new one, reattaching the cables, and reinstalling the center console. A ratchet, some sockets, and a couple screwdrivers (maybe some torx drivers? Don't know if Porsche is like that or not). $400 versus $100 or so, it's almost a no-brainer to me.

mach schnell
 

Mach Schnell: How's the internship going? Have thought about you a couple of times since 7/1/06. Hope you are getting a little sleep. Amazing how sleep becomes one of the most important things in life to a resident! Hang in.

Jeff - yeah - residency is, well you know, residency! It's amazing how one yearns just for 2 straight un-interrupted hours of sleep. I'd rather be up going all night rather than go to sleep at midnight or 1am only to be woken up every hour. All in all, it's not too unlike what I expected - the frustrating part, as is for most residents, is dealing with the system and all the new work and hour requirements imposed by the ACGME and still knowing about your patients, etc etc etc...

Although my bimmer is a fun little car - one does miss the hell outta the topless, therapeutic windy road jaunts that a Boxster provides.

How's life for you? How's your car?

Mach Schnell- Glad to hear you are doing well. I'm not sure if the new hour limits for residents are a good thing or not. I kind of wish they were around when I was a resident, but in the real world you have to be able to work tired sometimes.

The car is great. Put it to bed for the winter. Can't wait until spring. Just traded my Sequoia for an 06 Infiniti FX45 to help me make it through! My wife is pregnant! I am 43 yrs old so I don't know what the hell I'm thinking. And no she's 38 and not the trophy wife. We've been married 14 years. (Should I tell my wife she's not a trophy?!!) I guess I'll never retire!

Best of luck. Go cure some kids.